“There is more to Art than the straightness of lines and the perfection
of surfaces.”
(Flaubert, Préface à la
d’écrivain)
Sol LeWitt manipulates the visual language of the line to create
a conceptual grammar that is embedded in a creation of blank and negative space.
The economy of line creates a dialogue with which to communicate ideas with
lines that create a sense of contrast and balance between the form and the conceptual
thought.
The interrogation and exploration of line in LeWitt’s
etchings construct relationships and repeated patterns that create a conscious
sense of abstraction. Aside from initial ideas on paper, LeWitt’s work is
largely constructed under strict instruction and rules by others such as his
studio assistants. From this a strong industrial and utilitarian connection is
communicated within the prints with each line perhaps being representative of a
line of thought, taken and transposed into a visual object.
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Sol LeWitt, (1973) no
title, From Straight Lines in Four Directions and All their Possible
Combinations, [Etchings on paper], 27.3 x 27 cm, Tate Modern, London. Image© The estate of Sol LeWitt
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Although printmaking is arguably inherently a sequential
form that develops a series of works almost naturally, LeWitt’s work acts as
though underpinned by a cause and effect mechanism.
"If the artist
carried through his idea and makes it into visible form, then all the steps in
the process are of importance. The idea itself, even if not made visual, is as
much a work of art as any finished product." (LeWitt, 'Paragraphs on
Conceptual Art', 1967)
LeWitt expressed his ideas through a visual language formed
through a series of lines and geometrical shapes. The raw almost industrial
feel of the prints (and the process of printmaking) could be representative of
LeWitt expressing bluntly that art is fuelled by materialism and driven
economically.
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Sol LeWitt, (1999) Small
Etching/Black & White No.4, [Etching on paper], 21 x 21 cm, Tate
Modern, London. Image© The estate of Sol LeWitt
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The geometric linear monochromatic prints share in my
opinion parallels with the work of Agnes Martin (1912-2004), where her
paintings form a quasi-visual representation of data veiled by a rational grid
system. Within both the work of Martin and LeWitt, a manipulated perspective is
constructed by a seemingly mathematical and meticulous approach that results in
a visual balance and rationalised composition.
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Agnes Martin (1965), Morning [Acrylic paint and graphite on
canvas], 182.6 x 181.9 cm, Tate Modern, London. © Estate of Agnes Martin /
DACS, 2009
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Viewing both the prints of LeWitt and the paintings of
Martin there is a strong sense of deep intellectual thought, with an emphasis
placed on reflection. It is as though the artists are asking us to pause and
connect mentally with the lines of the linear forms to intertwine our thought
processes with theirs. Ultimately though it feels as though the lines are
tracing our existence to connect the viewer with their own being.
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